SemiSerious

Easier than choosing a wine for shellfish was my decision to attend the 2007 International Image Sensor Workshop held last week in beautiful (literally - see the translation) Ogunquit, Maine. The huge lobster was served up with an even bigger dose of the latest research in imaging technology. The workshop - formerly known as CCD and AIS - is small, but kept that way to provide an open and friendly atmosphere for the brightest minds in imaging technology. Registration was filled within two days, well before I could respond. Fortunately, our work on Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) was accepted as a poster presentation.

Three relatively new ideas appear poised to challenge the CMOS image sensor (CIS) used today everywhere from Canon professional cameras to toys. In no particular order

• Back-side illumination (BID)
• Active layer over IC (AIC), and
• Single Photon Avalanche Detectors (SPAD)

have each progressed to a point where they should be taken seriously as mainstream contenders. Conceptually, each has well-known advantages over the standard (CIS) currently in production where the photosensitive element converts light into electrical charge only after the photons have traversed a thick stack required for the interconnect levels of CIS or any other IC. Standard CIS designs enjoy a big development, mass production, and (probably most importantly) market head-start. Scaling of the CIS pixel is feasible for the next two generations - 1.4 and 1µm. Beyond that, one of these newcomers will likely carry the torch.

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